The BBC dramatization of Alexander McCall Smith’s bestselling series The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, is to be extended into a full television series of thirteen episodes for BBC One. The series will star the full cast of the film, including jazz and blues singer Jill Scott as Precious Ramotswe, Lucian Msamati (JLB Matekoni) and Anika Noni Rose (Grace Makutsi).

The 105-minute pilot, directed by the late Anthony Minghella and co-written with Richard Curtis, was screened on BBC One on Easter Sunday to an audience of 6.3 million viewers. Minghella won an Oscar in 1996 for directing The English Patient, and was Oscar-nominated for writing the screenplay for 1999's The Talented Mr Ripley. He tragically died in March 2008 from a hemorrhage following surgery.

Richard Curtis wrote the screenplays for Bridget Jones's Diary and the sequel The Edge of Reason, Love Actually, Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral. He has also been behind TV series including Blackadder and The Vicar of Dibley.

US television network HBO is partnering the BBC, to make the new series. Filming will begin summer 2008. You can watch trailers and clips from the pilot movie on the BBC website.

The first eight books in The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series were published by Polygon, with whom McCall Smith reached international bestseller status and his books have been translated into fourty-two languages. The series has now passed to Little, Brown, who has recently published the ninth book, Miracle at Speedy Motors.

Related article: McCall Smith’s story is the perfect tribute – The Scotsman